Rayne sat at the end of her narrow bed next to Jelly's cot, painting her nails. It was the end of August and the heat was vile. She'd pulled the blind against the sun to cut the glare, but it made no difference. She'd just had a cold shower, but she was sweating already, her make-up melting off her pretty, pointed face like wax. Her cheap electric fan had broken yesterday and now there was absolutely no movement in the stifling air.

I won a copy of Possessing Rayne by Kate Cann from a giveaway hosted by Liz at My Favourite Books, and I'm glad I did! Thank you, Liz, for sending this great book my way! It's a YA book bordering on a Gothic tale, at the centre of which is Morton Keep, an old manor house full of mystery and creepy secrets.

Rayne leaves the claustrophobia of the inner city estate she lives on, and her demanding mum and boyfriend, to work at Morton’s Keep, an old manor house. She meets a new set of friends who are very seductive, and falls for the leader, the elegant St John. But is it her or the house they’re interested in? She senses evil growing, but she’s not sure where it’s coming from. She hears dark rumours about the mysterious fire group, and the woods … ..who can she trust?

Possessing Rayne presents many elements of a Gothic tale. First of all, there's Morton Keep, an old, beautiful residence surrounded by the woods, in which Rayne goes to live and work. Morton Keep is almost a character itself in the book: full of mystery and an eerie athmosphere, teh old mansion is said to be haunted and is the object of the attention of many ghost hunters.

The book also contains a touch of supernatural forces. The green lady, a presence full of "fire, flood, fury" makes a few appearances throughout the book, as a strong, mysterious force, which is frightening, but not evil.

This kind of book is not usually my style, but I was immediately captured by Kate Cann's storytelling. I discovered a new author here, and I'd recommend this book to lovers of mystery and the supernatural.